Monday, July 14, 2014

The Best (and Worst) Things about Summer in Chicago

1. I don't have to put on four layers of clothes before I go outside.

2. I just wish that I hadn't eaten all that chocolate last winter so that I would feel more comfortable about walking around without four layers of clothes on.

3. I can go for a bike ride by the lake.

4. When I go bike riding, I have to deal with all the aggressive, nasty, and territorial cyclists on the bike path who yell, "On your left," "Incoming," and "GET OUTTA THE WAY, DAMMIT!"

5. The good-looking, muscular guys in tank tops.

6. The fact that most of the good-looking, muscular guys only have eyes for the skinny girls in short shorts.

7. Neighborhood festivals, like Halsted Market Days, Chinatown Summer Festival, and the Taste of Chicago.

8. People at the festivals who spill beer on you, which leaves you with no choice but to sneeze on their food.

9. Old movies that are shown on huge screens in the park, where people can set up beach towels, bring snacks, and watch the movies for free.

10. The jerks who set up huge lawn chairs right in front of the people sitting on beach towels, which leaves the latter with no choice but to throw popcorn at them.

11. The blue sky, sunlight, and a cool breeze that make you want to spend the whole day outside.

12. Sunburn, sweat, and bug bites from spending the whole day outside.

13. The view of the Chicago River and the skyscrapers in the Loop, which makes you realize how beautiful the city is.

14. The tourists who crowd the sidewalk, walk very slowly, and make you look forward to winter, when it'll be too cold for anyone to be on the sidewalk.

What about you? What are some of your favorite things (or pet peeves) about summer in your hometown?

8 comments:

  1. Sounds like there's a lot of food throwing in Chicago.

    I always feel so lame when I take the Minuteman Bikepath here (a converted railroad line), which is a block from my house. There's a lot of "On your left." I feel like the old lady driver on the highway in the right lane with my left blinker on.

    I have a huge problem with mosquitoes. I'm allergic to them, so if I get more than 8 bits I come down with flulike symptoms. It happened to me this weekend. I hate bug spray, but it keeps the enemy at bay.

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    1. Hi Theresa,
      I'd been looking forward to going for a bike ride all winter; when I finally got to go, it was ruined by all the rude bicyclists who kept forcing me to get out of the way. They acted like they owned the bike path, and they were wrong.
      Sorry about the mosquitoes; that's rough. Maybe you could try a lotion that repels mosquitoes too?

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  2. Summer in my hometown is really hot. You are all sweaty and stuff, one might think that you are melting. I loved the part about sneezing on the beer spiller's food. At least you bike. I try to avoid all types of exercise and then hate myself when summer comes along. Four layers of clothes don't sound like a joke, but I would love to try the Chicago deep dish pizza. It always looks so great on TV.

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    1. Hi Murees,
      I wish I could have my own bike, but I don't have any place to store it; fortunately, Chicago has a good (but expensive) rental bike system. You should definitely try the Chicago deep dish pizza. Every Chicagoan has their favorite pizza place; mine is Giordanos.

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  3. Yeah, why DO people on deckchairs sit in front of people on the floor, or worse, stand up in front of them? It's obviously an international problem.

    Best thing about my hometown in summer? People tend to take trips out of town to the moors, coast, cities and leaves our small town empty for me to walk about in :-)

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    1. Hi Annalisa,
      Those chairs really bother me, because the people who use them don't care if they block the view of other people. If they really wanted to sit in a chair instead of a beach towel, they should have stayed home or gone to a movie theater.
      It's always nice to have more space to walk around in. I've never been a big fan of crowds, even after all my years in Chicago.

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  4. Slow walking tourists are a hassle everywhere!

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    1. Hi Deniz,
      I walked slowly when I first moved to Chicago, so I can understand their fascination. But I'm still tempted to barrel right past them, though.

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